Area football notes: Pawnee overcomes secret Storm weapon

Sunday

A day after Pawnee High School’s roller-coaster 40-38 victory over Niantic Sangamon Valley, Pawnee coach Kitt Thein and Sangamon Valley coach Michael Lee still didn’t know how it happened.

A day after Pawnee High School’s roller-coaster 40-38 victory over Niantic Sangamon Valley, Pawnee coach Kitt Thein and Sangamon Valley coach Michael Lee still didn’t know how it happened.

Lee didn’t know how the Sangamon Valley Storm seemingly sleepwalked through the first half of their season opener Friday night. Thein didn’t know how the Pawnee Indians allowed Sangamon Valley back into the game, only to seize back the momentum after the Storm seemed to own it completely.

Sangamon Valley, trailing Pawnee 24-0 at halftime, got a big second half from the player Lee called “our secret weapon, but he’s not a secret anymore.” Freshman Laney Martin scored on a pair of long touchdown returns — one fumble recovery and one kickoff — to spark Sangamon Valley to a 38-point second half.

But it wasn’t enough as quarterback Dalton Doerfler led the Indians on a long drive that led to his game-tying touchdown with a little more than 3 minutes left. Joey Mathews followed with a two-point conversion run to give Pawnee the victory.

“I really thought we might be done after they took the lead,” said Thein, whose team trailed 38-32 after a 50-yard TD run by Sangamon Valley’s Dan Rentschler.

“But Dalton got fired up and took control. He said, ‘We’re not going to lose our opener my senior year.’ I give him and our kids credit. They kept fighting. It was an ugly win, but a win’s a win.”

The outcome wasn’t sealed until Pawnee’s Nick Stevens intercepted a Sangamon Valley pass with a little more than two minutes left. But Lee said the Storm sealed its fate in the first half.

“Given our experience, it was a shock for me,” Lee said. “There was an overall lack of willingless to compete in the first half. We were settling for hanging around, but we weren’t even hanging around.

“We had 15 penalties. It was all our own fault. We couldn’t play any worse, but there we were. We took the lead. But Pawnee answered.”

No 0-1 start for Nokomis

Nokomis won its season opener for the first time since 2006, and coach Gabe Cesaretti’s team did it convincingly.

“That’s the most physical ballgame we’ve played in three or four years,” Cesaretti said of Nokomis’ 34-13 home win over Petersburg PORTA. “We had a lot of guys in the pile, making tackles. We played good, swarming defense.”

Cesaretti said defensive end Jonathan Kirshner logged a school-record four sacks, and defensive back Austin Chausse made several open-field tackles and had a diving interception.

Vern Billings held the previous school record of three sacks in a game, set in 1989. He and Cesaretti were classmates at Nokomis.

Coach: Hawks’ Schneider OK

Opening-night muscle cramps were a common problem Friday night, but Riverton quarterback Will Schneider suffered through a serious episode that forced him from the game in the third quarter.

The junior’s departure coincided with Gillespie’s second-half comeback as the visiting Miners took a 33-19 victory over Riverton.

“It started in his calves, and it moved up his body from there,” Riverton coach Josh Lee said of Schneider’s cramps. “He was on his way to having some sort of heat illness.

“He was crying and upset. He felt like he was letting the team down. But he couldn’t move his body.”

Schneider was taken to a hospital and later discharged. Lee said Schneider was better on Saturday and should be back for next Friday’s home game against Sangamon Valley — coached by Josh Lee’s brother, Michael Lee.

Cavaliers hurt by turnovers

Carlinville coach Chad Easterday said Friday’s opener at Alton Marquette was the opposite of last year’s first-round playoff game between the South Central Conference rivals.

Whereas turnovers and miscues hurt Marquette in a 35-0 playoff loss, three first-half turnovers Friday helped put Carlinville in a 22-0 hole. The Explorers eventually won 35-14.

A crusher for Carlinville came when Marquette’s John Piper intercepted a pass and returned it 96 yards for a touchdown to open the 22-0 halftime lead.

“We made too many mistakes,” Easterday said. “Give Marquette credit; they were disciplined in their option scheme. They didn’t make mistakes like they did in the playoff game. This time, it was role reversal.”

Carlinville pulled within 22-14 early in the fourth quarter before Marquette quarterback Dalton Halm put it away with TD runs of 1 and 45 yards.

Dave Kane can be reached at 788-1544.

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